For the Institution of Civil Engineers' annual Smeaton Lecture in 2014, Andrew C Smith described how the extraordinarily ambitious New River project was conceived and executed, with particular focus on the role of the engineer Edmund Colthurst.
At the start of his lecture, Andrew Smith remarks that there are not many items of infrastructure that are more than 400 years old yet are still successfully fulfilling their original purpose.
The webcast of the lecture was recorded and can be watched online at www.ice.org.uk/eventarchive/smeaton-lecture-2014-the-new-river.
The recording of the lecture was discovered by John Polley of the New River Action Group. Among the Group's activities are various guided walks along the New River. There's one on Saturday 28th July from Hertford to Rye House, including a tour of the New River Brewery, and another on 7th October along the Whitewebbs Loop. For details see newriver.org.uk/nr/.
